Fugitive takes good Samaritan for a wild ride

Wednesday

Dec 5, 2012 at 12:01 AMDec 5, 2012 at 11:33 AM

FALL RIVER — An unsuspecting motorist who happened to be driving on Interstate 195 at the wrong time and place found himself trying to drive a fugitive with a loaded gun to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.

STEVE URBON

FALL RIVER — An unsuspecting motorist who happened to be driving on Interstate 195 at the wrong time and place found himself trying to drive a fugitive with a loaded gun to the hospital Tuesday afternoon.

The fleeing suspect had abandoned his own car near Route 24 while fleeing a police pursuit, and ran into the path of the other driver, who struck him.

The suspect had injured his leg and the other driver offered him a ride to get medical attention, but then wound up being pulled over a few miles down the road. At times during the confusion, police could be heard on the scanner referring to the matter as a suspected carjacking.

What began as an attempt to serve an outstanding arrest warrant for Cleveland Clay, 25, of Fall River, wound up with Clay allegedly trying to stash a loaded .38-caliber pistol under the dashboard after state police stopped the innocent driver's vehicle in the Somerset/Swansea area, state police said.

Clay was hospitalized with leg injuries at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence and placed under guard.

The incident began at 1:26 p.m. in the Flint section of Fall River, where Clay had been involved in a domestic incident leading to charges. Police were attempting to corral Clay as he evaded them in his 1999 Lincoln Continental, state police said.

Clay eventually encountered an officer who had blocked his path with his cruiser and switched on its blue lights, police said. Clay responded by backing into a cruiser that was following him, doing minor damage.

Clay then fled into Westport, where that town's police chased the Lincoln onto I-195, where the suspect pulled over and ran from the car into the highway near the ramp to Route 24, where he was struck by a passing car.

Clay's vehicle had apparently become disabled, state police said.

The driver of the car that struck Clay offered to take the man to the hospital but, after the description of his vehicle was relayed to police, the vehicle was stopped. The driver called the police's attention to the weapon, for which Clay had no permit, they said.

When the Lincoln was later searched, police recovered a bag of crack cocaine, they said.

Police did not list the specific charges against Clay.

The name of the innocent motorist was not released by police. He was not reported to be injured.

The incident remains under investigation by the Fall River Police Special Operations Division.